Bound by Blood (The Garner Witch Series)

by P. A. Lupton

  This woman was seriously unglued.

  “I know my dad, he was intensely protective. If he left you behind it wasn’t because he didn’t love you. Leaving a child would’ve killed him. He had to have believed it was the only way to protect you. There was a killer hunting my family, Lisa. I was involved by birth, but he would have wanted to keep you safe, as far away from the danger as possible.” I defended my dad. I was pissed at him right now, but I also knew he was fiercely protective of those he loved.

  “A lot of good that did, he still found me. He would’ve killed me to, trying to find you. I was nothing but a means to an end to him—at first. That is, until he found out how much I hated you. I offered to help him locate every surviving Garner and wipe out the lot of you.” A grin tugged at the side of her mouth.

  Okay, she was officially crazy. No point in trying to argue logic with the crazy twit.

  “So what’s the plan now Lisa. You just gonna keep me hangin’ around all night chit chatting.” I curved a mocking brow at her.

  “That was sort of the plan, yes. I’m just waiting for my associate. You see, he’s unable to meet with us until the sun sets. I can’t wait for you to meet him, I promised him that I wouldn’t touch you until he arrives, but I think he’s going to let me in on some of the fun this time. I was there, you see, for that woman last week. It’s really too bad we hadn’t found Hayley by then, so we had to settle for a stranger, but don’t worry we’ll get to Hayley after we’re done with you.”

  “You’re sick, you know that.” Venom dripped from my words.

  She chuckled, a low menacing sound, “You know I think you might be right—Abandonment issues.” She shrugged. “But I do so enjoy it.”

  An eerie silence settled between us. I’d heard all I needed to hear from Lisa Benet. Besides, I needed time to process what she’d just told me, I was still reeling from discovering that I had a sister. Although, I don’t know why that would surprise me now, after everything else my father hid from me. I wonder if I ever really knew him at all.

  Continuously, my mind played over everything I learned. While I thought, I managed to look around at my surroundings to see if there was anything I could use to escape.

  “Don’t even bother.” She said as if she were bored. “You won’t get out of those chains, and now that I know about your powers, you will not have the chance to use them again. And don’t think anyone is going to run to your rescue, you are so far out in the middle of nowhere that no one will hear you scream.”

  The first shiver of true fear jolted through my body at her words. Morrison was probably dead, and even if Nathan were back by now, he would never find me. To top it all off, whatever drug they gave me was making it impossible to use my powers. I was screwed.

  I noticed that it had become visibly darker outside, and I think the sun may have gone down completely. Judging by the eager expression on Lisa’s face, I knew that it was only a matter of minutes before our mystery guest appeared. This was the moment I was waiting for. I was finally going to come face to face with the man who murdered my mother, only I would be tied up and completely at his mercy. Not at all how I envisioned our first meeting.

  My thoughts turned to Nathan, he would be distraught when he discovered I was missing and would probably blame himself. He would be wrong though. How could he have anticipated the killer having an accomplice? We erringly thought we were safe during the day, it wasn’t Nathan’s fault, but I knew he wouldn’t see it that way.

  My heart tightened at the thought of never seeing him again. At that moment I realized I loved him, and no matter if this were the last day of my life, I would never regret meeting and falling in love with him. The thing that pissed me off though, was with Morrison dead, Nathan would have no idea that Lisa had betrayed him.

  My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of crunching gravel as a car approached. Lisa jumped up in anticipation, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the killer. I heard the car door slam and the slow approach of footsteps to the barn. When the door swung open I was instantly flooded with a feeling of relief. I didn’t recognize in front of me, but I recognized the khaki pants and navy blue polo shirt with the Donovan Security logo. It was one of Nathan’s bodyguards. He must have followed Lisa when she brought me here.

  Relief quickly morphed to betrayal, and then fear, as I saw him approach Lisa with a broad smile. Pulling her into his arms, he kissed her passionately and my hopes of a rescue were thwarted as I realized he was the killer. He’d been right under our noses the whole time. “I knew I could count on you, baby.” Though he used an endearment, there was nothing sweet about this man. He was a cold as ice—I saw it in his eyes.

  He kissed her again before turning to me with sweet smile. “Hello Brianna, it’s nice to finally meet you in person. My name is John.”

  Chapter 22

  “Hello John. I’d say it’s nice to meet you too, but I’d be lying through my teeth you sadistic son of a bitch.” I spat, fiercely. My body trembled. Not from fear, I was pissed.

  Although he smiled, his attitude was acrimonious. The hostile air swirled around him like a dense cloud, anger and bitterness so tangible I could practically taste it. Obviously, one facet of my power was still intact. It took no effort at all to sense his emotions, it happened automatically. I thought about that. Since I was still able to read his emotions, perhaps I could surprise him with an offensive attack. Debilitate him long enough to escape. I pressed out with everything in me, but whatever drug Lisa pumped into me made it difficult to form focused thoughts. Everything in my head was cloudy and scattered.

  Mockingly, he chuckled at my livid expression. “I can feel what you’re trying to do Brianna.” Before I could anticipate the blow, he stepped back and brought the back of his hand into my face with a striking crack of his fist. His preternatural strength made it feel like I was struck with a baseball bat. Intense pain exploded through my skull. I would not give him the satisfaction of showing fear, and I refused to cry out in pain. When I raised my eyes to meet his, he suddenly dropped the guards he’d been using to block his power at the crime scenes. Evil power flooded me, it was more diluted now without the stolen power, but hideous all the same.

  “You’re tough.” Stroking his finger along my chin, he leaned so close his scent made my stomach churn. “It will be fun to break you, and believe me I will break you.”

  “You saw that woman I killed.” He whispered in my ear and I shivered with revulsion as his breath touched on my neck. “She begged for me to kill her, and you will too. But I won’t kill you. Not until I get what I want from you.”

  Now it was my turn to laugh. “You’ll never get what you want from me so you might as well kill me now.”

  “Oh no. You don’t get off that easy. I want the power you stole from me.”

  “It’s impossible to steal something that never belonged to you to begin with.” I countered.

  I saw it coming, but with my hands chained to the wall I could do nothing to stop the blow. Ruthlessly, he kicked me in the stomach me. The impact nearly ripped me from the chains. My broken ribs made themselves known when I tried to draw in a breath. It was tiresome, fighting for consciousness while trying not to scream, but I absolutely was not going to give him the satisfaction of hearing my cries.

  “How did you get past Nathan and his guards?” The question came between panted breaths. I figured if I could distract him by talking, I might have a chance to regain some strength.

  He smiled—a leering self-satisfactory smile. With adoration, he turned his gaze to Lisa. She watched our exchange with unadulterated enjoyment. “Isn’t she clever?” He praised, gesturing to Lisa. “Not only did she help me locate the hidden witches from the Garner coven, but she figured out how to get me past the guards.”

  So she’d been helping him all along. Bitch.

  “It was her glowing reference that led to Nathan hiring me as a bodyguard for Donovan Security. The night I killed those witches, I simply knocked on the doo
r and told the guards I was their replacement. Guards turn their back easily when you’re one of their own. It’s so easy to plunge a knife into a back.” The disparity between his cold-hearted nonchalance over killing, and the tender way he stroked Lisa’s cheek was sickening.

  “Yes, that’s remarkable. Not only are you an evil sadist, but a coward too. Attacking men who trusted you when they least expected it? Impressive indeed,” I said, acerbically.

  He snarled, and then sprung at me in a movement so fast I barely had time to register fear. Sharp fangs punctured my neck as he drew my blood. It hurt...a lot. Not at all like the pleasure derived from Nathan’s bite. My only consolation, at least I was going to die quickly rather than be tortured with a slow and excruciating death.

  Suddenly, he hissed, rearing his head back so swiftly I felt the skin tear around my neck. The shock of pain almost betrayed my vow not to scream. “Very cunning, Brianna.” He shook his head clear and his lip curled snidely, my blood dripped from his fangs. “Very clever indeed. I almost killed you too quickly.”

  Stalking to a table behind Lisa, he whispered to her in low hushed tones. Whatever he said had her glancing at me with a disturbing smile before skipping outside in eager excitement. Moments later she came bouncing back with a duffel bag in hand and a perverse grin. My stomach twisted in trepidation at the thought of was in the bag. I wanted so badly to sleep and loose myself in unconsciousness, but my racing adrenaline prevented that. Despite the uselessness of the effort, I continued to try and use my power on him. Eventually this drug would wear off and I wanted to be wide-awake when it did. If I could find a way to kill them with my power I would—both of them. Fantasizing about killing them was the only thing that kept me going at this point. Well, that and memories of Nathan.

  Fiercely, I gripped to the memory of our lovemaking last night. His unwavering eyes had mesmerized me, emotions flooded me, and his body filled me. I remembered every sensation, every smell, every emotion, and I clung to the memories like they were my life preserver—and truth be told, they were.

  Daydreaming of Nathan was a good distraction and helped me to think past the pain. Between the drugs they had given me, the blows to my head and stomach, and now the loss of blood I was feeling dangerously unsteady and light-headed. Though, I perked up quickly when I saw the brutal, predatory sneer on John’s face as he inched his way closer. He advanced slowly, deliberately, ensuring that I caught the steely glint of the blade in his hand. It was a large hunting knife with serrated edges and a thick black hilt. John wielded the dagger as if utterly at ease with the weapon in his hand, and after seeing the remains of his last victim, I knew all too well that he was.

  “Now, you and I are going to come to an arrangement. I want you to return the powers you took from me, and if you do, I’ll let you die quickly and painlessly. If you don’t agree to reverse the spell, then you will suffer more than the last bitch I killed.”

  He stood in front of me now, tracing the knife tauntingly down the front of the cowl neck silk blouse. My breath caught while he sliced very gently along the material. I watched with growing concern as the shirt separated with ease, baring my skin to his malicious gaze. “That was just a small example of what I can do with this blade. It will slice through your flesh as easily as butter.” I felt his hot breath against me and I shuddered. “So, are you going to do the spell, or am I going to have some fun?”

  My eyes practically sparked with fire as I stared into the evil abyss of his dark gaze. “Fuck you! You will never get that power back.”

  He flashed an anticipatory smile, almost as if he was expecting my reaction. The next thing I knew he pressed the knife into my stomach. Slowly. The precision and speed of the assault was insufferable, I could barely catch my breath. It was awful. No matter how much I tried to refrain, I heard myself scream as white hot fire ripped into my belly.

  “Do you feel that Brianna?” He whispered, roughly. “I know more about the human body than you could ever imagine—how to inflict the most amount of suffering while keeping you alive.” He pushed the knife further into my flesh and I heard myself whimper in response.

  “It slices so easily, but don’t worry, I’ll be sure not hit any major organs. I want to enjoy this for as long as possible.” He sighed deeply. A tremor passed through him and he visibly shuddered, sick bastard got off on this shit.

  Eventually, the burning strain in my stomach proved to be too much, and thankfully, I passed out. Blissfully, I welcomed the tranquility and peace of nothingness. The freedom from the pain, even if it was only for a short time, was a welcome retreat at this point.

  I don’t know how long I was out, but consciousness slammed back into me with throbbing clarity. The pain in my stomach was excruciating, and my face was stinging as though it had been slapped, repeatedly. “She’s waking up.” Lisa announced as another resounding smack landed. “Come on Brianna. Up and at ‘em.”

  I coughed and tasted the metallic bite of blood in my mouth.

  “Brianna” John called, not allowing even a moment to regain my composure before insisting I open my eyes. He wanted me off-balance. “I will ask you one more time. Are...you...going...to...do...the...spell?” John asked clearly, punctuating each word with a press of his knife to a different spot on my body—not hard enough to cut, just enough pressure to intimidate and frighten me.

  Though his intimidation tactics were becoming overshadowed by the growing desperation I sensed coming from him. He really wanted the power back, and there was no way I was going to make this easy on him. “I thought vampires had super hearing. You have got to be the only deaf vampire in history. I’ll repeat myself loudly so you can hear it this time... NO!”

  This time there was no preamble. No fancy build-up. He simply plunged the knife into me, but despite the lack of fanfare the result was just the same. The blade sliced through my chest with piercing force. I almost didn’t recognize the tormented scream that escaped. The pain was raging. It burned excruciatingly and had me turning my head and vomiting. Still, I somehow managed remain conscious. Yay me!

  “You stupid bitch! Give me my power back!” he yelled in exasperation.

  Sweating profusely, I tried as best as I could to ignore the ripping pain scorching through every cell of my flesh. Gathering every ounce of strength I could muster, I tried again to focus an attack on him. The drug’s effect was undeniably lessening, but I still couldn’t form a coherent enough thought for the strike to be effective. Whatever medicine they injected into me still pulsed through my blood. Combined with the pain echoing throughout my entire body, it wasn’t an optimal condition for an attack.

  “I can feel you trying to poke your insignificant power into my head. It will do you no good, that shot we gave you will make it impossible.”

  I attempted a laugh, but it was weak.

  “What’s so funny, witch?” he snapped.

  “I was just thinking what a pathetic man you are.” I gasped breathlessly. “You claim that my power is insignificant, yet it must be stronger than yours if you’re so hell bent on stealing it.” I knew mocking him wasn’t smart, but I was trying to taunt him into stabbing me again. If he continued to cut into me, I would bleed so much he’d be forced to heal me or let me die. He wanted that power too much to let me die—or so I was counting on. Rather than let me bleed out and lose his chance at getting that power back, I was hoping he’d give me some of his blood to heal me. Vampire blood would heal the wounds he’d inflicted but also push any drugs right out of my system. Yeah, it wasn’t the most brilliantly thought out plan, but it was all I had at the moment.

  This time his response to my defiance was to thrust the blade deep into my belly and hold it still for a moment. “How’s this for pathetic, witch?” he taunted as he dragged the knife upward. Red-hot fire exploded in my gut like acid, causing me to cry out again. I barely coped, but I managed to cling—although just barely—to consciousness. Great ...plan...Brianna, I thought to myself. Piss of a lunatic.

&n
bsp; I panted silently for a few minutes, but no matter how much I tried I couldn’t seem to draw enough oxygen into my lungs. My body was screaming at me to shut my mouth. Nathan told me the other day that my mouth would get me into trouble one day—I guess he was right.

  “I’m sorry.” I began with a trembling, breathless voice. A look of triumph spread across his face upon hearing my apology, he thought he’d broken me. “I... shouldn’t... have... called you pathetic” I barely managed to get the words out I was in so much agony. “Actually, you are pitiable and sad.” My strength grew as I watched his expression change from smugly victorious to irate in an instant. “You had to chain me to a wall so I couldn’t fight back. You’re worse than pathetic. You couldn’t even get to me by yourself. You had to have a woman come for me. I guess you’re even weaker than a woman, no wonder you need such a power boost, power that you stole from women I might add.” It was hard to believe that the scornful laugh had come from me, but it did. I chuckled again when I heard Lisa gasp in shock at my words.

  John leaned into me furiously, pressing the tip of the blade into the side of my cheek, “Keep talking bitch and I’ll cut your tongue out.” He threatened, obviously under the mistaken impression he could intimidate me.

  “Yeah?” I laughed. “Cut my tongue out and I really won’t be able to say the spell. Brilliant plan Einstein.”

  John was teeming with fury. Unsure of what to do next, he was lost. He’d been so sure I’d break by now. His knuckles whitened as his grip tightened on the knife and I prepared myself for punishment. Instead of using his weapon though, I heard the blade clang to the floor and I felt his fist connect with brutal force to my face, over and over.